Pivoted pawl ratchet wrench with quickly-detachable handle



New, 1, 1949, H. F. BARLOW PIVOTED PAWL RATCHET WRENCH WITH QUI'CKLYDETACHABLE HANDLE Filed Jan. 9, 1946 2 SheetsSheet 1 1949. H.. F. BARLOW PIVOTED PAWL RATCHET WRENCH WITH Nov. 1,

QUICKLY-DETACHABLE HANDLE Filed Jan. 9, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In velltor Ho WARD 53A R1. ow,

Patented Nov. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE PIVOTED PAWL RATCHET WRENCH WITH QUICKLY-DETAGHABLE HANDLE 1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to improvements in ratchet feed socket wrenches of the so-called box type, the primary object in View being to provide a simple form of inexpensively constructed wrench which may be made very thin and is otherwise especially adapted for insertion in small and inaccessible places.

Another object is to provide a wrench of the class and for the purpose above set forth, in which a handle, a rotary socket member and operating means therefor are so corelated that the socket member extends from the handle for operation in a manner to facilitate use thereof in a re stricted space.

Still another object is to provide a wrench of the class set forth which is adapted for reverse operation WithOllt removing the socket from a nut when the nut is hard to get at and space is limited.

Still another object of my invention is to provide in ratchet wrenches for replacing socket members with others of different sizes.

Other and subordinate objects, within the purview of my invention, together with the precise nature of my improvements, will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in plan of my improved I ratchet wrench in a preferred embodiment thereof,

Figure 2 is a similar view of the handle and operating parts carried thereby,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the same,

Figure 4 is a view in plan of the socket member detached,

Figure 5 is a View in side elevation of the same, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section taken on the line 6I5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, my improved wrench comprises, as shown, a suitably elongated handle I having a substantially oval front head 2 bifurcated to provide a substantially rectangular notch 3 extending therein from the front end of said head in the longitudinal center thereof. Top and bottom flattened faces 4, 5 are provided on the front portion of the head 2. A pair of top and bottom retaining plates 6, l for a socket member, presently described, are fitted fiat on said faces 4, 5 with screws 8 ex;- tending therethrough into said head 2 to keep said plates from turning on said head. The pair q dd of retaining plates 55, I taper forwardly in substantial conformity with the sides of the head 2 and project forwardly of said head with rightangled, inturned lips 9, In of arcuate form 1ongitudinally on the front edges thereof for a purpose presently seen. The furcations II, I2 of the head 2 at the front end of said head from elongated, concave, shoulders I3, I4 and which are beveled transversely, as at I5, oppositely, with respect to each other and extend parallel with the shoulders I3, I4. The retaining plates 6, I are formed of spring metal.

An annular socket member I 6 extends forwardly from the head 2 coplanar therewith. The socket member I6 is provided with the usual internal serrations IT. A pair of internal, annular, grooves IS, IS are provided at opposite sides of the socket member l6 and external, V--shaped, relatively larger grooves 20, 2| in the periphery of said member all of said grooves being concentric to said member. The grooves I8, I9, together with the grooves 20, 2|, form annular side flanges on said member concentric thereto and interposed with a working fit between the shoulders l3, I4, on the one hand, and the lips 9, It, on the other hand, so that said socket member I6 is rotatably connected throughout a relatively small sector thereof to said head 2 to extend forwardly of said head.

Operating connections between the head 2 and the socket member I6 are provided as follows: Circumferentially spaced bosses 23 are formed on the periphery of the socket member I6 between the groOVeS 20, 2|. A ratchet arm 24 is swingably mounted at the inner end thereof in the notch 3 and on a pivot stud 25 rotatably extending through the furcations I I, I2 with end shoulders 26 abutting the retaining plates 6, I. Reduced, oppositely threaded shanks 27, 28 on the stud 25 are threadedly extended through the retaining plates 6, I, whereby, upon turning of said stud 25 in the proper direction, the retaining plates 6, I may be clamped against the faces 4, 5 to retain the socket member I6 between said plates. A hand lever 29, at the top of the handle I, and suitably fixed on the shank 2i, provides for manually rotating said stud 25. The ratchet arm 24 is provided with a ratchet pawl-forming outer end 36 and is adapted to extend out of one, or the other, side of the notch 3, as occasion may require, to engage the end 30 with the bosses 23. A pair of curved, leaf springs 35, 32 are provided in the notch 3 at opposite sides of the stud 25 and which extend forwardly to bear against the ratchet arm 24 when said 3 arm is extended out of the corresponding side of the notch 3. The springs 3!, 32 are fixed by screws 33, 34 to the rear wall of the notch 3 and are designed to tension the ratchet arm 24 to engage the end 30 with the periphery of the socket member Hi, to ratchet over the bosses 23 and rotate said socket member l6.

Referring now to the operation and use of the described wrench. With the ratchet arm 24 extended out of one side of the notch 3, for instance, the right side, as shown in Figure 1, and the socket member I6 engaged with a nut, not shown, or the like, upon swinging movement of the handle I, clockwise, as viewed in Figure 1, the end 30 will engage the bosses 23 to rotate said head l6 clockwise and tighten a nut, or the like. By turning the stud 25 in the proper direction, the retaining plates 6, I may be sprung apart sufficiently to permit the socket member IE to be detached, so that the ratchet arm 24 may be swung on the stud 25 to project said arm out of the other, left-hand side of the notch 3. In this position of the ratchet arm 24, the end 30 will engage the bosses 23 when the handle I is swung counter-clockwise, as viewed in Figure 1, to correspondingly rotate the socket member l6. As will be seen, in either of the described projected positions of the ratchet arm 24, one or the other of the springs 3|, 32 becomes effective against said ratchet arm. A socket wrench adapted for use as described has the advantage over others of obviating detachment of the socket member from a nut, or the like, to turn the wrench over for reverse operations in places where the nut is hard to get at and operating space is limited.

By springing and unclamping the retaining plates 6, 1 in the manner already described, the socket member 16 may be detached, or removed, and another one of a different size, within a limited range of sizes, may be substituted therefor. Of course, the difference in size in the socket heads is confined to the internal size thereof, for reasons which will be understood.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing 4 from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a wrench, an annular socket member forming an opening for fitting over an object to be turned, a handle, means to slidably attach said handle to said member in radially extending position for swinging around said member in opposite directions comprising a pair of annular side flanges on said member, a bifurcated head on said handle straddling a small sector of said member and fitting against said flanges at one side thereof, a pair of retaining plates attached to opposite sides of said head in overlying engagement with said flanges with inturned end lips fitting against said flanges at the other side thereof, said plate being resilient for springing apart to disengage said flanges and provide for detachment of said head and handle from said member, manipulative means carried by said head for springing said plates apart comprising a screw stud threaded into said plates and a lever for rotating said stud, and coacting devices on said head and member, respectively, for locking the head to the member against swinging around the member whereby to cause swinging of said handle to revolve said member, comprising peripheral bosses on said member, and a pawl pivoted in said head on said stud to engage the bosses at one side of said handle and being swingable on said stud when the head and handle are detached to engage the bosses on the other side of the handle when said head and handle are again attached.

HOWARD F. BARLOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 133,402 Bonneville Nov. 26, 1872 243,304 Pride et a1. June 21, 1881 562,689 Willows June 23, 1896 572,857 Barnes Dec. 8, 1896 1,194,471 Boosinger Aug. 15, 1916 1,322,722 Norris Nov. 25, 1919 

